Horsepower vs. Torque: What’s the Difference? https://t.co/rO47BdGEJl pic.twitter.com/kfYZ6Q8gIC
— Car and Driver (@CARandDRIVER) April 15, 2016
We just read over the article Car and Driver posted on torque and horsepower, and we think we can explain the difference... using ponies.
Imagine you have two little ponies -- one is a stout Shetland pony, and the other is a fine-featured miniature horse.
The sturdy Shetland pony is able to pull heavier carts than the miniature horse. If you needed to pull out a wheel that was stuck in the mud, you'd call on the Shetland. This short-legged little pony is not very fast, though.
The mini horse, with its relatively long legs and swift form can trot at a faster rate.
Hitch both up to a carriage of equal weight, and while the Shetland gets moving from a halt faster, pretty soon the mini horse is outpacing it.
If you haven't guessed it already, the Shetland has high torque, and low horsepower, and the mini has high horsepower, and low torque.
Torque is the amount of force an engine can apply, and horsepower is how quickly the engine can apply the power at. Pickup trucks tend to have more low-end torque than horsepower, because they care more about hauling heavy objects more than going fast. A compact sports car usually has more horsepower than torque, because it cares more about going fast than hauling weight.
The ideal sports car has both torque and horsepower -- imagine a muscular, yet tall and lean racehorse. It can get the vehicle's weight moving along quickly as it accelerates from zero, and has a pulse-pounding top-end speed, too.
Find your ideal mix of horsepower and torque at LCM Used Car Center. Browse used cars, trucks, and SUVs near Lancaster.
